There are many types of societies in this world and since the beginning of time more have developed. Society is a grouping of individuals characterized by common interests may have distinctive culture and institutions. Social scientists have identified five types of societies based on various levels of subsistence technology: hunting and gathering, horticultural and pastoral, agrarian, industrial and postindustrial societies (Kendall 141). - Jamboree
If we are to compare our own society with another elsewhere in the world, lets look at the our own country. We live in the United States which can have many types of societies, my particular society I believe is a combination of an industrial and a postindustrial society. An industrial society is one that is based on technology that mechanizes production (Kendall 145). For example, we still produce things in factories like cars, computers, electric lights, telephones, and most of what we see would not exist if not for industrialization. Most of what we own is a product of an industrial society. On the other hand, a post industrial society is a society in which economic transition has occurred from a manufacturing based economy to a service based economy. This economic transition spurs a restructuring in society as a whole (Ritzer 1). In a postindustrial society banking, law and the travel industries are examples of forms of employment, whereas producing steel or atutomobiles is representative of employment in industrial societies, all of these things are happening here in the United States.
Economy depends largely on the type of society you have and the type of society you have can be dependant on the economy. The economy here in the United States has been the talk of many people lately, on the news, in newspapers and magazines and in the the current presidential debates. The economy of the United States is the worlds largest national economy. It is a mixed economy and private firms make the majority of microeconomic decisions, while being regulated by the government (Wikipedia). We are fortunate enough to be an industrialized nation that is able to produce many things for export and sale also
Based on research Somalia is a mix of a horticultural and pastoral society. The somali nation relies heavily on farming and domestication of animals as a food source. Horticultural societies are based on technology that supports the cultivation of plants to provide food, and a pastoral society is based on technology that supports the domestication of large animals to provide food (Kendall 142). The horticultual society is able to grow their own food with hand tools and things of that sort for a steady source of food. When inadequate moisture in an area makes planting crops impossible, pastoralism-the domesticaion of large animals to provide food-developes(340). In Somalia the average ranfall is less than 20″ per year which is not enough rainfall for most plants to grow.
Somalias economy is divided between pasoralism and trade and is consitered a free market economy. Most Somali make their living by hearding camels cattle and sheep. Camels provide transport, milk and meat, and also serve as trade goods. They are exhanged with marrage agreements, and used to settle disputes. A small portion of the population inhabitsthe riverbanks in the souteast, where they cultivate irrigated plots of bananas, sorghum, sesame, maise and vegtables(Lands 303). The modern Somali economy consists of a small export sector with the biggest commercial crop being bananas(New Book 225). They also export exotic products such as frankincense and myrrh collected from local trees (Lands 303). Although Somalia has several small industries most economic activity has been severyly disrupted by the collaps of government in 1976. There has been no effective national government in Somalia since 1991(Wikipedia). Income by Somalis who work in foreign countries such as the U.S. has become essential to the economy, as has financial assistance from other nations(New Book 225). Since the mid 1990’s, most aid has been provided by Islamic organizations in the Persian Gulf region. In late 2001, severe hardship occurred when the country’s leading financial institutions was shut down because of alleged links to the terrorist network responsible for the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. (Lands 303).
Economic progress in Somalia is decidedly mixed. As of January 2007, Somalia is still a fragile state with hundreds of thousands of refugees due to massive floods and the latest fighting of the civil war. However Somalia boasts lower rates of extremem poverty and, in some cases, better infrastructure than richer countries in Africa. However with a GDP of $600 per capita the country is still extremely poor (Wikipedia).
Society and economics are important subjects concerning our global structure today. There has been much concern here in the U.S. with the current standing of our economy and what the future has in store, many worry that a recession is inevitable. While many think that our economy is in jeopardy and not looking good, we should take a step back and look at economies in other countries. Some other nations don’t really have too much in place as far as an economy, so to them our economic structure may look wonderful. In this paper I will compare the society and economic structure of the Unites States with that of the Somali nation.
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